Learn A Lesson From Duke Nukem: If You Tweet When Angry, You Will Get Burned

This one’s for all you PR folks out there. PR agency Redner Group has just been dropped by its largest client, video game company 2K, the makers of the infamous Duke Nukem Forever. And they were fired over a single tweet.
It was a long time in the making, but Duke Nukem Forever has finally hit the press. But despite its much-anticipated release, early reviews weren’t promising: many reviewers were disappointed by the “bland set of predictable first-person shooting levels, not much to look at and not engaging to play” (Wired).

In response to these “venom filled reviews,” the founder of Redner Group, James Redner, took to Twitter on Monday with a rant against these reviewers who “went too far” in bashing Mr. Nukem:

Too many went too far with their reviews…we are reviewing who gets games next time and who doesn’t based on today’s venom.

He used the official Redner Group Twitter account (@TheRednerGroup) to tweet these emotional words, the account which he had previously been using to promote his client’s video game.

And, as TheDrum reports, Duke’s creators were not too happy with Redner’s tweets. In addition to firing The Redner Group, 2K released a statement which said in part:

“2K Games does not endorse or condone the comments made by @TheRednerGroup and confirm they no longer represent our products. We maintain a mutually respectful relationship with the press and will continue to do so. We don’t condone @TheRednerGroup’s actions at all.”

So there you have it, one of the most basic lessons in social media PR. Don’t tweet while emotional.

It’s fine to bring a personal voice to your Twitter account, but keep everything you say professional… and don’t anger the critics.

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